Hair styling tool with two or more rotatable multipurpose-platforms

ABSTRACT

A hair styling tool includes two or more pivotally connected arms, each having a handle portion and a hair engaging portion. At least two arms of the tool are capable of housing one or more rotatable platforms which are, in turn, capable of holding a plurality of hair contacting elements. The tool may also include one or more heating elements to provide heat for styling hair. Various hair contacting elements can be selectively connected to each rotatable platform of the tool to accomplish a variety of different hair styling tasks.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a hair styling tool allowing a user toeffectively brush and style hair.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Brushing and combing help distribute the oil from scalp throughout thehair and keep the hair healthy. Combing helps detangle the hair whereasbrushing helps remove the dirt surrounding the hair. In addition todetangling and cleaning the hair, many people like to style hair inparticular shapes by applying heat using flat iron, crimping iron,and/or curling iron.

A drawback of the conventional flat iron, crimping iron, and curlingiron is that these tools provide a user with only a limited set offeatures and styling options. Therefore, a user may require two or moretools to accomplish the hair styling task.

Technological progress allows engineers to integrate a multitude of hairstyling tools into a single tool. As desired, such a tool may be used tostraighten, crimp, curl, or otherwise style hair without using anothertool. For example, a hair styling tool may include a flat heatingsurface and a brush arranged so as to allow a user to straighten andbrush hair simultaneously.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one exemplary embodiment, a hair styling tool of the presentinvention includes two or more arms pivotally connected at a proximalend thereof. Each arm of the hairstyling tool may have a handle portionand a hair engaging portion. At least two arms of the tool are capableof housing one or more rotatable multipurpose-platforms which are, inturn, capable of holding a plurality of different hair contactingelements selected by a user to accomplish the hair styling task. Thehair styling tool also includes one or more motors for rotating themultipurpose platforms directly or indirectly.

The hair styling tool may further include one or more heating elementsfor heating the air proximally surrounding the hair engaging portion ofthe arms, thereby providing the desired amount of heat to style hair.The hair styling tool may also include electrical components and userinterface to control the functionality of the motors and the heatingelements therein.

In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, one or moreaforementioned rotatable multipurpose-platforms may be replaced byrotatable cylinders and/or rotatable brushes in order to allow a user tochoose a variety of hair contacting elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an exemplary hair styling tool ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-section, side elevation view of the hairstyling tool of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of another exemplary hair stylingtool of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-section, side elevation view of the hairstyling tool of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the hair styling tool of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a partial front perspective view of a four-facetedrotatable-platform in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 7 is a partial front perspective view of a six-facetedrotatable-platform in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 is an end section view of the rotatable platform of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is an end section view of the rotatable platform of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of an exemplary hair contactingelement in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 11 is a front perspective view of another exemplary hair contactingelement in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of yet another exemplary haircontacting element in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 13 is an end section view of fully-mounted rotatable-platform ofFIG. 6.

FIG. 14 is an end section view of partially-mounted rotatable-platformof FIG. 6.

FIG. 15 is an end section view of fully-mounted rotatable-platform ofFIG. 7.

FIG. 16 is a partial front perspective view of a rotatable-platform inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a front perspective view of yet another exemplary haircontacting element in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 18 is a front perspective view of yet another exemplary haircontacting element in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 19 is a top plan view of yet another exemplary hair contactingelement in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 20 is a top plan view of yet another exemplary hair contactingelement in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, an illustrative embodiment of a hair styling toolof the present invention has at least two arms 1 pivotally connected toeach other at a proximal end 2 thereof. Each arm of the hair stylingtool has a handle portion 3 close to the proximal end 2 and a hairengaging portion 4 close to the distal end 5. The hair engaging portion4 of each arm 1 can hold at least one rotatable multipurpose-platform 6.Other mechanical and electrical components (not shown in FIG. 1) of thehair styling tool can be housed in the handle portion 3 of the arms 1and can be adapted to rotate the multipurpose platform(s) and also toheat the air proximally surrounding the multipurpose platform(s). Thedetails of each component of the hair styling tool will be discussedlater in this description.

Referring to FIG. 2, in one illustrative embodiment of a hair stylingtool of the present invention, arms 1 of the tool are connected at aproximal end 2 using a pivot hinge 7. The arms 1 of the tool may bepivotally movable relative to each other. The hair styling tool is saidto be biased to a closed position when the distal ends 5 of any twoadjacent arms are brought as close as possible and the tool is said tobe biased to an open position otherwise.

The hair engaging portion 4 of each arm removably holds a hollowrotatable-platform 6 such that a portion of the platform 6 extends intothe handle portion 3 of the respective arm 1. An electrical motor 8 maybe housed in the handle portion 3 of each arm and adapted to rotate thehollow platform 6 held by the respective hair engaging portion 4. Ineach arm of the tool, a drive shaft 9 is attached to a drive gear 10that interacts with another gear 11 attached to the hollow platform 6.The electrical motor 8 may be adapted to rotate the drive shaft 9 andthe rotation of the drive shaft 9 is transmitted via the gear system(10, 11) to the hollow platform 6.

A heating element 12 is aligned along the rotational axis of at leastone hollow platform 6 and is non-rotatably held by the respective hairengaging portion 4. A portion of the heating element 12 extends into therespective handle portion 3 so as to facilitate an electrical connectionbetween the heating element and a control unit 14. The control unit 14includes electrical components that may be adapted to control thefunctionality of the motors 8 and the heating element(s) 12. A userinterface 15 is embedded inside or mounted on one of the arms and isaccessible to a user. The user interface 15 preferably allows a user toset the speed and/or the direction of rotation of the motors 8 and thetemperature of the heating element(s) 12. All the electrical componentsof the hair styling tool may be powered directly or indirectly by one ormore batteries or an electrical power cord 16.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in another illustrative embodiment of a hairstyling tool of the present invention, one or more rotatablemultipurpose-platforms (see FIGS. 1 and 2) may be replaced by rotatablecylinders and/or rotatable brushes. For example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and4, a rotatable brush 6 and a rotatable cylinder 17 may be used insteadof two rotatable multipurpose-platforms. All other components of thehair styling tool may preferably remain unchanged or may be modified soas to improve the usability and/or safety of the tool.

Referring to FIG. 5, an illustrative block-diagram of a hair stylingtool of the present invention is shown. Generally, the major blocks thatconstitute a hair styling tool of the present invention can beclassified into five types: (1) control unit, (2) motor, (3) heatingelement, (4) gear system and/or coupler, and (5) rotatable platform. Thehair styling tool may include one or more blocks of each abovementionedtype. In the present context, a motor, a gear system and/or coupler, anda rotatable platform may be combinedly referred to as a rotary system.The control unit is adapted to control the functionality of all therotary systems and the heating elements of the tool. Although the blockdiagram shown in FIG. 5 includes only two rotary systems and one heatingelement, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that as manyrotary systems and heating elements can be included as possible.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 through 4, arms 1 of a hair styling tool ofthe present invention may be of any shape or size sufficient toaccommodate various components of the tool. In one exemplary embodiment,the handle portion 3 and the hair engaging portion 4 of one or more armsof the tool may be detachably connected to each other. Also, arms 1 ofthe tool can be made of any material suitable for safe handling. Arms 1can be pivotally connected preferably at any portion thereof and in anyfashion sufficient to allow a user to selectively bias the tool to aclosed position and an open position.

The details of the aforementioned rotatable-platforms and the haircontacting elements will now be discussed. Referring to FIGS. 6 through9, the shape of a rotatable platform included in a hair styling tool ofthe present invention preferably allows a user to removably mount aplurality of complementary hair contacting elements. For example,referring to FIGS. 6 and 10, each mounting face 2 of a rotatableplatform may have one or more engaging grooves 1 (see FIG. 6) forcooperating with one or more complementary engaging protrusions 3 (seeFIG. 10) of an associated hair contacting element. A rotatable platformincluded in the hair styling tool may have as many mounting faces 2 aspossible.

Referring again to FIG. 2, a rotatable platform 6 included in the toolmay be preferably hollow to allow one or more heating elements 12 to beheld inside the platform 6. However, for other configurations of heatingelements, the rotatable platform may be hollow or solid. A portion ofthe platform 6 may be thermally conductive to allow an uninterruptedheat flow. Other portions of the platform may be preferably made of anymaterial for providing safe handling.

Referring to FIGS. 10 through 12, three exemplary hair contactingelements are shown. The base 2 of each hair contacting elementpreferably has one or more engaging protrusions 3 on one side forcooperating with one or more complementary engaging grooves 1 (see FIG.6) of the aforementioned rotatable-platform. On another side of the base2 of an exemplary hair contacting element, an array of hard (see FIG.10) or soft (see FIG. 11) bristles 1 may be surface-mounted. The sizeand shape of the bristles 1 may vary from one hair contacting element toanother. Another exemplary hair contacting element, as shown in FIG. 12,consists of a curved sheet 1 of any suitable material mounted on thebase 2. The base 2 of each hair contacting element may preferably bethermally interactive with the rotatable platform.

Referring to FIGS. 13 through 15, the aforementioned rotatable-platformsmay preferably be fully mounted (see FIGS. 13 and 15) or partiallymounted (see FIG. 14). A variety of hair styling tasks can beaccomplished by mounting the rotatable platform(s) with one or more haircontacting elements and subsequently using the tool.

The engaging grooves 1 (FIG. 6) and the complementary engagingprotrusions 3 (FIG. 10) can be of any shape or size sufficient tosecurely fasten the hair contacting element to the rotatable platform.Although a specific system including grooves 1 (FIG. 6) and protrusions3 (FIG. 10) is described herein, one of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that there are several other fastening systems that can beadapted to detachably fasten a hair contacting element to acomplementary rotatable-platform without significantly interfering withother components of the hair styling tool.

Referring to FIGS. 16 through 18, in one exemplary hair styling tool ofthe present invention, a hollow rotatable-platform (FIG. 16) and thecomplementary hair contacting elements (FIGS. 17 and 18) have an arrayof vents 1 for allowing the air contained by the hollow platform toescape. The vents 1 also allow the heating element(s) held inside thehollow platform to effectively heat the air surrounding the hairengaging portion. The vents 1 may have any shape, size, or patternsufficient for safe handling.

A hair contacting element, as shown in FIG. 12, may have vents 2 notonly on the base but also on the curved surface 1 as shown in FIG. 19.Another exemplary hair contacting element, as shown in FIG. 12, may havepatterned grooves 2 etched on the curved surface 1 as shown in FIG. 20.The grooves 2 may have any shape, size, or depth sufficient for stylinghair in a predetermined fashion.

The electrical components and the heating elements included in a hairstyling tool of the present invention may have any shape, size, orconfiguration sufficient for safe handling. In one exemplary embodiment,one or more motors used in the hair styling tool may allow a user tocontinuously or discontinuously rotate the respectivemultipurpose-platforms. In another exemplary embodiment, one or moremotors used in the hair styling tool allow a user to selectivelyposition one or more hair contacting elements relative to the respectivearms. In yet another exemplary embodiment, a combination of the twoabovementioned motor configurations may be used. The heating elementsmay be held by the arms of the tool in any appropriate positionsufficient to ensure safety and to avoid the heating elements todamagingly interfere with other components of the tool.

Referring again to FIG. 2, a method to style hair using a two-armed toolof the present invention will now be described. The user may start offby selecting one or more hair contacting elements suitable for the hairstyling task and selectively mounting the same on the rotatableplatforms 6 of the tool. The user may proceed further to set theoperation temperature of the tool as required. Also, the user may setthe direction and/or the speed of rotation of the rotatable platforms 6.Proceeding further, the user may place the hair between the hairengaging portions 4 of the arms 1 with the tool in its open position.The user may then bias the tool to its closed position and activate themotors 8 and the heating elements 12 of the tool. Subsequently, the usermay move the tool relative to the hair in a predefined manner, therebystyling hair.

In one exemplary embodiment of a hair styling tool of the presentinvention, the number of pivotally connected arms may be greater thantwo so as to provide additional hair styling options to users. To stylehair using such a tool, the user may have to select twomutually-adjacent arms to work with and then follow the aforementionedmethod.

1. A tool suitable for hair styling comprising: two or more pivotallyconnected arms, each having a handle portion and a hair engagingportion; two or more rotatable multipurpose-platforms; one or moremotors adapted to rotate the multipurpose platforms; and one or moreheating elements to heat the air proximally surrounding the multipurposeplatforms.
 2. The hair styling tool of claim 1, wherein said pivotalconnection allows the tool to be selectively biased to a closed positionand an open position.
 3. The hair styling tool of claim 1, wherein atleast one said arm has a handle portion detachably connected to a hairengaging portion.
 4. The hair styling tool of claim 1, wherein saidmultipurpose-platforms are capable of holding one or more haircontacting elements with or without an aid of fastening means.
 5. Thehair styling tool of claim 1, wherein at least one saidmultipurpose-platform has an array of vents to allow an uninterruptedheat flow.
 6. The hair styling tool of claim 1, wherein at least onesaid multipurpose-platform is replaced by a rotatable cylinder or arotatable brush.
 7. The hair styling tool of claim 1, wherein at leastone said motor is rotatable in either direction by a predeterminedangle.
 8. A hair contacting element of a hair styling tool having a basewith one or more engaging protrusions on one side for cooperating withone or more complementary engaging grooves of a rotatablemultipurpose-platform.
 9. The hair contacting element of claim 8,wherein an array of bristles are surface-mounted on said base.
 10. Thehair contacting element of claim 8, wherein a curved sheet is mounted onsaid base.
 11. The hair contacting element of claim 8, wherein said basehas an array of vents for cooperating with vents (if any) of a rotatablemultipurpose-platform to allow an uninterrupted heat flow.
 12. The haircontacting element of claim 10, wherein said curved-sheet has patternedgrooves on one side.
 13. The hair contacting element of claim 11,wherein an array of bristles are surface-mounted on said base.
 14. Thehair contacting element of claim 11, wherein a curved sheet is mountedon said base.
 15. The hair contacting element of claim 14, wherein saidcurved-sheet has an array of vents.
 16. The hair contacting element ofclaim 14, wherein said curved-sheet has patterned grooves on one side.17. A tool suitable for hair styling comprising: two or more pivotallyconnected arms, each having a handle portion and a hair engagingportion; two or more rotatable cylinders; one or more motors adapted torotate the cylinders; and one or more heating elements to heat the airproximally surrounding the cylinders.
 18. The hair styling tool of claim17, wherein said pivotal connection allows the tool to be selectivelybiased to a closed position and an open position.
 19. The hair stylingtool of claim 17, wherein at least one said arm has a handle portiondetachably connected to a hair engaging portion.
 20. The hair stylingtool of claim 17, wherein at least one said motor is rotatable in eitherdirection by a predetermined angle.